‘We knew it was going to be close’: Southport crew wins U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament
Damage from Hurricane Isaias, the threat of COVID-19 or even sloppy seas couldn’t keep the field of boats down in the 2020 U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament, held last weekend out of Southport, N.C.
In early August, Hurricane Isaias caused significant damage at Southport Marina, which has hosted the tournament for over 40 years, forcing the 42nd annual event to be staged at Dutchman Creek Park.
The second-largest field in the history of the tournament, 521 boats, competed in the two-day tournament, with a stiff northerly wind in the offing both days.
Brothers Andy and Adam Broadwell of Southport and their family crew aboard Nauti Lady were the class of the huge field of boats, weighing in two of the top three heaviest king mackerel, including the winning 38.85-pounder, to earn $80,506.
Sling N Bait, also of Southport, finished second with a 37.75-pound king.
The tournament awarded a total of $361,000 in cash prizes, which included an additional $16,320 added to the prizes by the tournament Board because of the large turnout.
Boats were allowed to fish both fishing days, last Friday and Saturday, and Nauti Lady caught and weighed in the eventual winning fish on Saturday. A day earlier, Nauti Lady weighed in a 37.2-pounder and sat in second place behind Sling N Bait entering the final day of fishing.
The Broadwells have a long history of fishing king tournaments in the Brunswick County area, specifically the U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament. Four generations of Broadwells have now fished in the tournament.
“My parents and grandparents have been fishing the tournament since 1981, we’ve fished it most years,” said Broadwell, who was part of the Nauti Lady crew along with his dad, Boyce Broadwell, that finished second in the event in 2013.
Boyce Broadwell, who was part of so many Broadwell king tournament teams, passed away in 2017. He received a jacket after winning a 1990 tournament in Morehead City, N.C., and his son, Adam, wore the jacket on Saturday.
“My brother (Adam) wore that jacket — it was definitely meant to be,” said Andy Broadwell. “For whatever reason, we were meant to win that tournament.”
There were a bunch of Broadwells and a few Phelps on board Saturday when the winning fish was caught.
Andy Broadwell, his wife Lauren and sons Fisher and Garrison, and Adam Broadwell and his daughter Lily made up the Broadwell contingent. The Broadwell’s fishing partner, Chad Phelps, his wife Heather and son Camden rounded out the team of nine.
The 500-plus boats competing combined with the sloppy sea conditions meant crowded fishing conditions near the beach both days.
The Brunswick County coast, from Calabash to Southport, lines up east to west, and the stiff northwest to northeast winds for the weekend left seas relatively calm near the beach but rough offshore.
“Normally (that many boats is) not a big deal but with the weather most of the boats were fishing from Shallotte Inlet to the Cape Fear River Channel which is about a 22-mile wide area,” said Broadwell. “Within two miles of the beach is where most of the boats were.”
Nauti Lady caught the 37.2-pounder on Friday in the popular and productive Cape Fear River Channel, with Adam Broadwell serving as angler. The team returned to the same spot in second place on Saturday hoping to move up.
“We checked out, caught bait (menhaden), went back to the same spot and anchored up,” said Andy Broadwell. “At 9:15 a.m. it started getting too crowded for me and I decided I didn’t want to be there anymore. We went down the beach to the Big Hill, until I got out of the crowd, and anchored up at 9:45 a.m.”
Several hours passed, with no quality kings caught. But it only takes one bite.
“At right around 3 p.m. we got our bite, the fish aired out, we saw it and knew it was a thick fish,” said Andy Broadwell.
Chad Phelps was the angler, and the king nearly spooled the reel.
“We chased the fish down, stuck him, he came off the gaff, made another circle and the second time he came up we gaffed him and put him in boat. Nobody got overly excited because we knew it was going to be close to what we caught the first day.”
Andy Broadwell brought out the measuring tape.
“I measured him, and he was an inch shorter than the day before but two inches bigger in girth,” said Broadwell. “I knew it was going to be very close to the same or bigger.”
With COVID safety measures in place, one crew member was allowed to take the fish to the scales.
“We dropped Chad off to weigh it in and we all watched it (being weighed in) on the phone (at www.usopenkmtlive.com),” said Andy Broadwell. “When they said 38.85 we started yelling and got excited then - we had the lead back. There were 30-40 more boats waiting to weigh but most of the big fish are weighed in early unless somebody caught one at the last minute.
“It worked out. It was a great tournament.”
For more information, visit www.usopenkmt.com.
King Tournaments
Autumn marks prime time for king mackerel tournaments along the Carolina coast.
The action continues this weekend with the Rumble in the Jungle King Mackerel Tournament out of Capt. Archie’s in Little River. Boats are able to fish one of two days, Saturday or Sunday.
In two weeks, the Fall Brawl King Classic out of Ocean Isle Fishing Center will be held Oct. 24-25, with boats able to fish one of the two days.
The U.S. Open, Rumble in the Jungle and Fall Brawl are the final three events in the Southern Kingfish Association’s Division 2 – Carolina Border.
The Rumble in the Jungle and Fall Brawl are two of the four events that comprise the Kingfish Cup.